Jamie Murray and Martina Hingis continued their spectacular 2017 as they secured a dramatic victory in the US Open mixed doubles final.
On a tense and memorable afternoon at Flushing Meadows, Murray and Hingis defeated New Zealand’s Michael Venus and Chan Hao-Ching of Chinese Taipei 6-1 4-6 10-8 to add to the Wimbledon crown they won earlier this summer.
After sailing through the first set, Murray and his Swiss partner suffered a setback in the second as their thirdseed opponents rallied.
And they survived match point in a breathless final set, eventually prevailing after Murray’s volley ended a scintillating climax and ensured they remain undefeated as a pair.
But despite their incredible record, Murray refused to confirm whether they would continue as a duo in the future.
“I tried to find the best partner I could and I’m playing with her!” Murray said. “Look, she’s an amazing player, she’s had such a great career. It’s been a lot of fun.
“We’ve played a lot of good tennis this week and I think three times here we’ve won 10-8 so it just shows how fine the margins are in mixed doubles with the format we play.
“Hopefully we play more but we’ll see.”
The victory in New York is the third mixed doubles title of Murray’s career, having also triumphed with Jelena Jankovic at Wimbledon in 2007.
Hingis, meanwhile, has now won seven mixed doubles titles, as well as five individual Grand Slam crowns in a glittering career on the court.
And the 36-year-old hailed her partnership with 31-year-old Murray, believing their experience at the top level and ability to hold their nerve at vital moments is the reason behind their success.
“I think that the key to our success is we’re always there when it really matters,” she said.
“Jamie’s serve is so annoying anyway, so it’s like OK, we get through that. I think this is really the key: we’ve been there, we’ve won titles and we know how it’s done.
“And I think just giving ourselves the chance to make the returns, to make the first serves – that is definitely key.”
Sportsbeat 2017